Tropes of inflation data. How should business and customers overcome inflation?

Inflation refers to the general increase in prices of goods and services in an economy over a period – commonly a year, which consequently reduces the purchasing power of money in each household. To mitigate negative process of inflation which include goods redistribution, strain of savings, the loss of the overall value of money, instability, or delusional perception of situation both for consumers and business owners, there are some ways how to protect prosperity.

ECONOMYBUSINESS STRATEGYDATA

8/16/20245 min read

a hundred dollar bill sticking out of the back pocket of a pair of jeans
a hundred dollar bill sticking out of the back pocket of a pair of jeans

The relationship between inflation and unemployment rate has been a crucial debate and place of dispute between the best of theorists in the economy field. Inflation refers to the general increase in prices of goods and services in an economy over a period – commonly a year. This process consequently reduces the purchasing power of money in each household. This inflation in economic reality is categorized according to the degree of inflation rate or by inflation factor. Inflation can be driven by factors such as increased consumer spending, government expenditures, or a surge in exports. This type of inflation is called demand-pull inflation where prices increase because producers cannot keep up with the higher demand of products or services.

While for cost-push inflation the costs of production increase caused by higher wages, huge costs of raw materials, or supply chain disruption like during Covid. The producers raise prices to maintain their profit margins. The result is an overall rise in prices, even if demand for goods remains constant. A different type of inflation in the economic dictionary is wage-price inflation driven by the expectation of future inflation. Workers demand higher wages to deal with rising costs of living, but businesses respond by increasing prices to cover the higher wage costs. Consumers and entrepreneurs are creating a self-perpetuating cycle. Hyperinflation is an extreme form of inflation where prices increase at an extraordinarily fast over 100% rate per year. This is often due to a collapse in a nation’s monetary system or excessive money supply, as seen in historical examples like Zimbabwe in the late 2000s. Growing unemployment aroused by raising interest rates with the background of high inflation simultaneously on the market creates stagflation. A closer look at the relationship between inflation and unemployment was undertaken by Philips Curve, creating a famous economic model called the Philips Curve. He illustrates an inverse relationship between the rate of inflation and the unemployment rate, suggesting that lower unemployment rates are associated with higher inflation.


Employers are forced to offer higher salaries to attract scarce labor, leading to increased costs for businesses, which in turn pass these costs on to consumers in the form of higher prices. High unemployment leads to lower inflation. Phillips Curve was challenged in the 70s. During this period, both high inflation and high unemployment occurred simultaneously, contradicting the expectations of the Phillips Curve. Milton Friedman creates a concept of the "natural rate of unemployment," which is the level of unemployment consistent with a stable rate of inflation. The attempts to reduce unemployment below this natural rate through monetary stimulus would only lead to accelerating inflation without permanently reducing unemployment. Overall, there is no trade-off between inflation and unemployment.


How can inflation data make a change for decision making process in each new business?

Information about gauge of inflation in different countries verifiable from competent resources might be found in the World Economic Outlook from International Monetary Fund page, The World Bank databases, the "OECD Economic Outlook", or for example Eurostat - the statistical office of the European Union which provides comprehensive inflation data for EU member states.
The process of calculating inflation starts from specifying a base year, which serves as a benchmark for comparing price changes between the previous and actual year (inflation point-to-point). Another way for measuring the inflation rate is considering average rates for 12 months of the year, because prices between seasons and months can change significantly. Thus, the average annual price index gives more transparent results in international statistics. Research units for “market basket” are created, comprising a representative sample of goods and services that consumers, government, traders, investors, or producers typically purchase. All are categorized into accurate groups - food, housing, transportation, investments, healthcare, education, government spendings or production blanks. In practicality, one universal index for inflation data does not exist.
For manufacturers' strategy the most appropriate measure will be the index of production prices sold by industry, the so–called Producer Price Index – PPI. For customers' daily life – Customer Price Index the CPI.


In the market strong inflationary processes weaken investment activity and thus, they inhibit the pace of economic growth.


In order to enter new markets or expand into existing ones, companies should use data for understanding risk management. High inflation in a potential market might signal risks such as reduced consumer spending or increased operational costs, logistic problems while low inflation could indicate a stable environment for expansion.

During inflation companies might need to adjust wages to retain talent and ensure employees for production and ethics. However rising inflation pushes for the product creators to more innovative approach for durable goods caused by consumer caution in choosing a shopping list. In markets with low inflation, businesses might focus on price stability to attract cost-sensitive customers.

Data about the market is essential in negotiations with suppliers and clients. Businesses might include clauses in contracts that account for inflation, such as price adjustments based on inflation indices, to protect against cost increases over time. The inflation trends help in setting terms that are fair and sustainable over the duration of the agreement, preventing potential losses from unforeseen inflationary pressures.

How ingeniously get the better of inflation in uneven clash?

To mitigate negative process of inflation which include goods redistribution, strain of savings, the loss of the overall value of money, instability, or delusional perception of situation both for consumers and business owners, there are some ways how to protect prosperity.
First tactic is investing in inflation-protected securities, such as Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS). These bonds are indexed to inflation, ensuring that their value increases with rising prices. The second option is choosing different asset classes, such as stocks, bonds, real estate, and commodities to reduce the risk of inflation. Real estate and commodities provide a hedge against rising prices.
Often new skills for being more competitive on employment market is a way to open negotiation for higher salary. If it is difficult to complete a hard mission to earn satisfactory money in a company? Is it time to change department, occupation, or city? Think about it and be smart - avoid additional, stupid liabilities.


For a business to maintain profit margin, price increases should be strategic and gradual to avoid panic in the crowd of customers. This is the moment for adding automation for processes, checking incidentals, reducing vacancies where some individuals are inefficient and really committed for job, or optimizing supply chains. Look at inventory management practices. Gather supplies of necessary materials before the price rise. An option to reduce the cost of energy in the company or to introduce hybrid work as much as possible will give additional savings. Businesses can use financial instruments such as futures contracts and options to hedge against inflation risks. For example, a company that relies heavily on a particular commodity can lock in current prices through futures contracts to protect against future price increases.


Central banks often publish detailed reports and data on inflation within their respective countries. For being prepared on inflation rise time take a time for visiting the central bank’s official website or other sources depending on the most interesting area like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for USA, GUS in Poland, The State Council the Republic of China for Chinese market, INSEE for France, etc.
In-depth analysis of inflation data can provide the most precious information for various business processes – sale and customization, production, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), development, management. Individuals intensively and attentively observe and faced with the market can always wisely use the changes to their own advantage or defend against potential consequences.
Data-driven decision-making actions serve all - recipients and senders of the product or service.

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men wanted signage
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factory with machines in it